STABLE CARBON AND NITROGEN ISOTOPE STUDIES IN THE PARANÁ RIVER DELTA (ARGENTINA): AN APPROACH TO PREHISPANIC DIETS

Abstract

We focus on prehispanic paleodiets among the indigenous populations who inhabited the delta of the Paraná River during the Late Holocene. Stable isotope analyses of δ 13 C—from collagen and apatite fractions— and δ 15 N were performed on human bones from sites assigned to different archaeological entities (mainly Goya-Malabrigo and Guaraní). We contextualize the isotopic data with results from the study of zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical materials from these sites. The Guaraní case shows a greater reliance on C 4 plants (maize or wild C 4 plants). By contrast, for most Goya-Malabrigo individuals, δ 13 C values indicate a predominant consumption of C 3 plants that could include both domesticated and wild species. Through the integration of archaeofaunal, archaeobotanical, and isotopic information, we conclude that the Goya-Malabrigo case shows a mixed economy. Furthermore, small-scale horticulture of the maize-squash-bean triad supplemented a diet of wild resources procured through hunting, fishing, and gathering.